


Thin Edge

by ImaTastyPorkCutletBowl, Spunky0ne



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Abduction, M/M, VictUuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2019-10-06 05:49:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17339726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaTastyPorkCutletBowl/pseuds/ImaTastyPorkCutletBowl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spunky0ne/pseuds/Spunky0ne
Summary: When Yuuri and several members of the Russian National Figure Skating Team are abducted and held for ransom, things go awry and the skaters must contend with their unbalanced kidnapper, accomplices and an unforgiving landscape hampering any thoughts of escape…Victor/Yuuri, Otabek/Yurio





	1. Bird of Prey

Victor Nikiforov shifted in his sleep and his breaths deepened as he started to come awake. He smiled instantly at finding himself sprawled carelessly on his belly on the hotel bed, his body tangled up in the sheets and his beautiful Japanese lover splayed out over his back. His smile warmed at realizing their bodies were somehow still engaged, and it seemed that, even though sleeping, Yuuri was aroused.

“Yuuri,” he moaned softly, using his sexiest voice, “again?”

His still-half-asleep partner mumbled something unintelligible and moved his hips, making his lovely Russian partner raise his bottom as he clenched the sheets and groaned wantonly.

“Y-yuu-ri!”

Slender hands slid around Victor’s naked sides and graceful fingers snaked underneath him to find and playfully tease his erect nipples.

“Oh…oh, you don’t need to,” Victor panted, writhing underneath his slighter partner, “I am al-already r-really…!”

Victor gasped as Yuuri’s body impacted his with his.

“Vitya!” Yuuri hissed, biting his ear and sucking on the tender lobe.

The hot breath on his ear and the more intimate use of his name sent a jolt through his trapped nether region and he shifted to cause some friction. Yuuri’s hand swatted his pretty, white bottom and Victor yelped and raised it reflexively.

“I won gold,” Yuuri giggled, “remember, Vitya? You do what I say. _Wait for me_.”

“Oh god, I d-don’t know if I c-can!” Victor panted, his chest heaving and sweat beading on his face, “B-besides, that was barely a win!”

“I scored high enough to beat you,” Yuuri teased him, thrusting harder and making Victor groan more desperately.

“I th-think I need a fucking ha-handicap! I’m older than you and you know I have no stamina,” Victor moaned, shifting restlessly.

“You still usually beat me,” Yuuri snickered, “But you went out drinking the night before, didn’t you?”

“It was j-just a few…”

“Well, it looks like that was enough. Maybe next time you won’t drink the night before you have to compete with me,” Yuuri laughed, biting the back of Victor’s long, graceful neck and making him swear in Russian.

“Oh, naughty, naughty, Vitya!” Yuuri giggled, swatting his bottom hard and thrusting faster.

The Russian’s head bowed and he bucked his hips upward to meet Yuuri’s hard, grinding thrusts.

“You are killing me, Yuuri! Just…please…”

“Be patient, Vitya,” Yuuri scolded him, smacking his bottom again.

He reached around his handsome partner’s undulating body and wrapped a hand around his riled length, then he stroked it in time with his motions. Victor gasped and quivered in warning, and he barely managed to hold back until he felt Yuuri’s body shudder and begin its release. He surrendered with a happy sob, collapsing onto the bed as Yuuri’s weight came down on his back. The two laid still, enjoying the heady rush of sated bliss. Victor turned onto his back, spreading his legs wide and welcoming his flushed and happy partner to settle between them. Yuuri laid on his chest, indulging in long, wet finishing kisses that left both young man smiling contentedly.

“I love you, Vitya!” Yuuri sighed.

“Love you too, _solnyshko_ ,” Victor whispered, closing his eyes, “I never knew I could be so happy, even when I started to get old, and you could beat me.”

“What?” Yuuri giggled, “I don’t beat you because you’re old. I beat you because you drink before competitions and you have no stamina.”

“I used to beat you while I was drinking and had no stamina,” Victor argued teasingly, “It’s just that now, I am older and I can’t get away with so much.”

“You’re not old,” Yuuri said, lovingly stroking his lover’s thick, silvery hair, “You’re really not.”

“I am old for a skater,” Victor said, matter-of-factly, “But, you know what, Yuuri? I don’t feel sad anymore when I think of retiring. When I think or retiring, I know that I’ll just go on to become a coach. I’ll coach you until you retire, then you and I will open our own skating school, just like we’ve talked about.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed, “that makes me feel better about the future too.”

Yuuri sighed happily and snuggled closer to Victor, his eye catching on the clock as he moved. He stiffened and made a sound of surprise.

“Victor!” he exclaimed, “Look at the time. It’s late. Remember, Yakov said that he had to switch the flight time for our trip home?”

“Oh, damn it, I forgot about that,” Victor mused, stretching and sitting up, “We’d better get moving.”

“Ugh! I wanted to have a shower before going too.”

Victor frowned, looking out the window at the heavily falling snow.

“They might cancel the flight anyway,” he commented, “Let’s go and grab a quick shower. Our things are already packed.”

Yuuri gave him a wary look.

“Okay, but no seducing me while we bathe,” he warned his smirking lover, “I’m not missing the plane and ending spending days here, waiting for another flight.”

“Why not? It could be fun,” Victor snickered, “If the weather is bad, we’ll just stay here in the hotel and make love for days on end.”

“Stop it!” Yuuri laughed as the two left the bed and headed for the bathroom, “God, no wonder you have no stamina left for skating. Between how much you drink and how much sex we have, it’s a wonder either one of us can walk!”

“Are you really complaining about us having too much sex?” Victor laughed, “You looked very happy while we were doing it.”

“No,” Yuuri started to answer, but then he paused and shook his head, “Well, yes, I am. It’s fun and it feels very good, but you’re way too tied up in that, so that you forget about anything else!”

Victor gave him a charismatic wink.

“Who wouldn’t forget everything else while being tied up by you, _solnyshko_?”

“I said to stop it!” Yuuri laughed, smacking him on the bare bottom, “We have to hurry or we’ll miss the plane!”

“I told you, it’ll probably be cancelled anyway.”

“Get in the shower, Victor!”

“I’m going. I’m going.”

Victor warmed the water and the two stepped in under the hot spray together. And despite the need to hurry, the two bathed each other with unhurried and affectionate hands. They worked with more urgency, once their shower together ended, and hurried down to the lobby.

“Hey, there’s Chris,” Victor noticed as they headed to the counter.

“And there’s Otabek and Yurio too,” Yuuri added.

The two checked out, then moved to where their friends were waiting.

“What’s going on?” Victor asked, “Are we stranded? Did Yakov already leave?”

“He was able to get an earlier flight out,” Yurio explained, “but a bunch of us just had our flights cancelled before we even got to the airport.”

“Should we just check back in and stay over?” Yuuri inquired.

“No, I have to get back to Saint Petersburg,” Victor sighed, running a hand over his face, “I have an interview, and Yuuri and I are doing a magazine spread. We need to get home.”

“I don’t have a magazine spread, but I do have someone waiting very impatiently for me,” Chris sighed, “But there’s nothing going my way. I should probably go with you to Saint Petersburg. There’s a larger airport and more flights from there.”

The group of skaters left the hotel together, sharing a ride through the driving snow to the nearby airport. They left the car and fought the heavy wind the few steps to the glass entry doors, then burst inside.

“God, that just stole all my breath away!” panted Victor.

“No fucking stamina,” Yurio scoffed.

“Well, stamina or no stamina, I beat you in the competition, didn’t I?” Victor teased him, reaching over and inviting his younger friend’s ire by ruffling his hair.

“Don’t touch me, idiot!” Yurio snapped, “Where is the check in desk?”

“Um, maybe over there, by the other skaters who are flying with us?” Yuuri suggested.

The young men hurriedly joined their teammates at the crowded desk.

“Mila, Georgi,” Victor called out over the throng of voices.

“Victor!” Mila called back, “We wondered if you guys were coming.”

“We got held up a little, eh…by the weather,” Victor chuckled.

“O-oh,” Mila giggled, glancing at Yuuri and making him blush, “Okay!”

“Well, the bad news is that our flight was cancelled,” Georgi informed them, “And other flights have been cancelled, so they are not able to tell us how long it will be before we can be assigned to another flight.”

“At least they’re letting planes take off now,” Mila sighed, “I guess we’ll get a flight home eventually.”

“I wouldn’t mind the delay, but Yuuri and I both have public relations work.”

“I heard about the magazine shoot,” Mila said, smirking, “Sexy, sexy!”

“It’s a skate magazine, not a porn magazine,” Victor chided her playfully, “Although I wouldn’t mind if we were asked to…”

“Stop it, okay!” Yuuri complained, “This is bad enough with the weather and everything else. Don’t start being rude in public too.”

“Sorry,” Victor laughed, looking completely unrepentant.

“All right, boys and girls, I think I found us a ride,” Chris called out, over the din.

The others in the group paused, looking curiously at the neatly dressed pilot who stood at the Swiss skater’s side.

“This is Khipa Vasin,” Chris went on, “He says he has a relationship with the airline and often helps out. I checked with the desk, and they said he’s got a perfect flying record and he regularly helps out with his charter plane during bad weather.”

“A charter plane?” Yuuri said nervously.

“It is large commuter plane, luxury class,” Khipa said in thickly accented English.

“I figure we can share the cost of the flight and it’ll be less than we would have paid to wait around for hours and get on a crowded flight sometime in a few days,” Chris reasoned.

“It sounds good to me,” Victor said approvingly, “Bigger seats, less noise.”

“And we have full meal service on the way,” Khipa said, giving them a warm smile, “So, if you like, I fly you back to Saint Petersburg?”

Victor and Georgi engaged the man in a short discussion about price, then they looked back at the group and nodded.

“Ah, good, if you will come this way,” Khipa said, gesturing towards the check in desk.

He spoke to one of the women arranging flights for a few minutes, then she handed him several slips of paper and he nodded to the group.

“You have been transferred to my plane. We may leave immediately.”

“Good,” Victor sighed, “I wasn’t looking forward to spending the night here, waiting for a flight home.”

They left the busy check in area and followed their pilot to a quieter hallway, passing through a security checkpoint, then heading out to a large, well kept commuter jet.

“This looks great!” Georgi said approvingly as their host led them inside, where flight attendants guided them to their seats, “So much roomier.”

“I usually fly businessmen and they prefer to be given top level _service_ ,” Khipa said, nodding to the flight attendants, “If you will take your seats, I am going prepare the plane for takeoff. Anything you need, Tasha and the other attendants will get for you.”

“Is it just me or do they have some pretty buff flight attendants on this flight,” Chris whispered to Victor.

“Even Tasha looks like she could hold her own in a street fight,” Victor agreed, smirking and shaking his head.

“You would think with horny businessmen, they would have prettier service ladies,” Georgi chuckled.

“Behave yourself,” Victor chided him, “Be a gentleman. After all, this crew is lifting us out of a major jam. You should be grateful.”

“I am,” Georgi assured him, “I’m just between girlfriends.”

The skaters took their seats and fastened seatbelts in preparation. The pilot’s deep, pleasant voice came over the intercom, welcoming the passengers.

“ _The weather pattern is clearing and should not be a problem on the flight to Saint Petersburg. As soon as we are in flight, the attendants will be coming around to serve drinks and take orders for your in flight meals.”_

“This is great, isn’t it?” Victor asked his quieter partner.

Yuuri smiled and nodded.

“Oh, it’s really nice. Much better than the regular airline,” he commented.

“Mmhmm,” Victor agreed, “and the best part is, once we’re in the air, we can put up the armrest and cuddle!”

“Oh my god, you’re impossible!” Yuuri laughed, “Didn’t you get enough cuddling all night?”

“I could never get enough cuddling from you, even if you never let me go,” Victor answered, batting his eyelashes and making Yuuri giggle and blush.

“Would you two stop?” Yurio complained, looking over from the seat behind them, “You’re going to make me puke!”

“Hey,” Otabek said into Yurio’s ear, “ignore them. Pay attention to me instead.”

Yurio stiffened for a moment, blushing brightly, then he dropped back into his seat and turned his attention to the Kazakhstani skater.

“Well, I guess Yurio won’t be bugging us for the rest of the flight,” Victor snickered as the plane sped down the runway and lifted into the air.

As soon as the plane reached its cruising altitude, the flight attendants headed down the aisle, serving drinks.

“May I offer you some champagne, sirs?” a male attendant with the name Sharov on his tag.

“I will have some champagne,” Victor said, glancing at Yuuri.

“Eh, I had a little too much of that at the banquet last night,” Yuuri sighed.

“If you wish, we have ginger ale? Or perhaps, just water? I know the ice skaters are supposed to stay hydrated, _da_?”

“Right,” Yuuri agreed, “I think I’ll just have some water, thanks.”

The two men waited until the drinks were served, then thanked their host. Victor brought the champagne glass to his lips, following Yuuri’s eyes as his lover looked quietly out the window.

“Are you all right, Yuuri?” the Russian skater asked.

“Oh, yes, fine,” Yuuri assured him, “I’m just winding down from the excitement of the competition and… _everything else_.”

Victor laughed softly.

“Can we have more of the _everything else_ when we get home?” he asked teasingly.

“Victor!”

Yuuri continued to look out the window as the others on the plane drank and chattered, leaving his drink untouched. But, after several minutes, he noticed that the voices were beginning to drop out. He looked around, frowning as he noticed that a number of their friends had fallen asleep.

“What?” he muttered, turning his attention to Victor, who seemed to have dropped off as well, “Victor?”

He shook his lover gently, but the Russian skater remained asleep. Yuuri’s heart quickened and he looked around more urgently. The flight attendant who had served them gave him a stern look and began to move in his direction.

“Sir,” Yuuri said in a frightened voice, unbuckling and climbing to his feet, “something is wrong with everyone! I can’t…sir?”

His eyes rounded at the malevolent look that the man’s eyes had taken on as he reached Yuuri and grabbed him by the front of the shirt.

“What are you doing?” Yuuri cried, “Stop! Victor! Yurio! Somebody!”

“You are too loud,” the man snapped, slamming the Japanese skater down onto the floor on his back. Yuuri’s head struck the ground and spots danced in front of his eyes as he began to lose consciousness.

_Oh god!_

_What the hell is going on?_

_Why are they…?_

_V-victor…?_


	2. Kat's Paw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The skaters' captor asserts firm control by making an example of Victor.

Consciousness returned slowly, and Victor’s mind felt sluggish and foggy as he began to wake. At first, he thought he must be in his and Yuuri’s bed at home, but then he recalled the cancelled flight and alternate plans.

_But, I’m lying down?_

He tried to open his eyes, only to find that something seemed to have been wrapped snugly around his head and tied into place. He laid on one side, and his hands had been bound behind his back. His mouth, it seemed, had not been covered, and his first thought upon realizing his situation was to try to locate his lover.

“Y-yuuri?” he whispered, shivering though he could feel that he had been covered with a blanket.

Hearing no answer, he shifted, trying to feel the dimensions of the bed he laid in. He found the edge of the bed with his toes, then felt in the other direction and touched what seemed to be an unconscious person.

“Yuuri?” he called again.

He caught his lover’s scent and felt a twinge of worry at getting no answer, so he moved closer, nudging the other body urgently.

“Yuuri!”

The sound of a footstep approaching the bed made him stiffen.

“Who is that?” he asked anxiously, “Where are we?”

“Settle down,” a deep, unfamiliar voice warned him, “Keep quiet and don’t cause any trouble, or you’ll get a knock on the head, like your friend did.”

“Someone hit Yuuri?” Victor exclaimed, “Is that why he won’t answer?”

“I told you to settle down!” his captor said sternly.

“I…I will, just…is Yuuri all right? He’s not answering. Did you hurt him?”

A little exclamation of pain escaped the Russian skater as thick fingers sank into his hair and yanked his head back roughly.

“You’re not very smart, are you?” his captor growled, “I said shut up!”

He shoved Victor’s face into the pillow, pressing down until the bound skater stiffened, struggling to breathe, then he let go, leaving the skater reeling. Victor heard the sound of a door opening, then more dainty steps, followed by a distinctly male, yet effeminate voice.

“Now, now, don’t bruise that lovely face, you brute.”

“He’s being difficult,” the other man complained.

“Well, of course he is, stupid. He’s worried about his pretty lover.”

More dainty steps sounded and a little weight touched the bed, then Victor felt another shiver go through him as cold fingers ran through his hair and tickled the side of his neck.

“Aren’t you, dear?”

“Yes,” Victor answered, trying to keep his voice calm, “Yuuri won’t answer me. Please, is he all right? That man said someone hit Yuuri on the head, and he’s not answering me!”

“Now, don’t you worry about a thing, my sweet,” the second captor said, caressing Victor’s cheek tenderly, “Yuuri did get a rap on the head, poor thing. It was really unavoidable since the dear boy didn’t drink his drink, so he wasn’t knocked out more comfortably, like the rest of you. But I checked him out myself, and he seems to be all right.”

“Are you sure? Please, could I look at him?” Victor pleaded cautiously.

“Hmm, you’re a feisty one.”

“I’m really not trying to be difficult,” Victor assured the man, “Wouldn’t you be worried if someone you loved was unconscious and you couldn’t even see?”

“I suppose your worry is reasonable,” his captor agreed, “so here’s what I’ll do.”

Victor felt the man’s fingers stroke the bindings in his hands.

“I’ll move your hands so that you can touch him a little. Will that make you feel better, little ice prince?”

“Yes, thank you,” Victor answered, keeping his voice calm and quiet.

“Don’t try anything, now,” the man warned him, “You’ve already got on Alek’s nerves, and that’s not a good thing if you want to avoid getting hurt.”

Victor cooperated carefully as his hands were unbound, then tied in front of him and bound firmly to Yuuri’s.

“There now. You can feel your little cherry blossom has a pulse, _da_?”

“Yes, I can. That is better.”

“So sweet,” the man said, patting his face, “You see now, Alek. No need to get rough with him. Our little ice prince is very reasonable, isn’t he? He knows that if he wants his little cherry blossom to stay close to him and not get hurt, he will do _exactly_ as he is told.”

“You don’t have to threaten Yuuri,” Victor said, careful to keep his tone from sounding confrontational, “I understand you are in control. But, can you tell me, why are we here? Why did you abduct us? Are our friends all right? There were other skaters…”

“Now, now,” said the more effeminate man, “don’t become a nuisance.”

“But, you understand I’m worried for my other friends too. I just want to know if they’re all right. They haven’t been harmed?”

“They’re fine, honey,” the man said, running his fingers through Victor’s hair again, “And everyone will stay that way, as long as they are cooperative, and as long as our demands are met.”

“Your demands?” Victor mused, “Is it money you are after, or something else?”

The fingers in his hair tightened warningly, though not enough to hurt.

“Don’t push your luck, little ice prince,” his captor warned him, “I said no more questions. Just be a good boy and you, your precious cherry blossom, and the rest of your friends will be alive and safely back home in a few days.”

Victor flinched at feeling the man’s lips touch the sensitive juncture between his neck and shoulder.

“This doesn’t have to be all bad,” the man chuckled, sliding a hand under the blanket and slipping it beneath Victor’s clothing to caress his bare bottom.

Victor’s breath caught, but he forced himself not to react.

“But…it _will be_ if you become troublesome, do you understand, little ice prince?”

“Y-yes,” Victor answered, suppressing a shudder.

He heard a soft giggle as the man’s hand slid very slowly out of his pants, and the graceful fingers tickled the naked flesh along his hip as they withdrew.

“You can call me Kat,” the man informed him, “I’m in charge here, so if you cause any trouble, you’ll deal with me. Alek, over there, is your handler. He will bring you food and make sure that your other needs are met. You are not to try to make deals with him, or try to escape him, or things will get very unpleasant for you. Do not ask him to remove your blindfold or any bindings. He will only undo them enough so that you can use the bathroom…and you will be watched there also, so don’t get any ideas. Even if you escape this building, we are in an isolated area, and you don’t have warm clothing or shoes. We’ve made sure of that. Just think of this as a little vacation. That’s all it has to be, right little ice prince?”

“Yes, of course,” Victor answered.

“Yes, of course…what?” Kat prompted him.

“Yes, of course, _Kat_ ,” Victor corrected himself.

“Good boy.”

Victor felt the bed move and Kat’s footsteps sounded again, then stopped.

“Watch him closely,” Kat warned their handler in a voice purposely loud enough for him to hear, “Victor is very obviously the alpha of the group. The others will take their cue from him. If he misbehaves, send him to me. If the cherry blossom misbehaves, just smack him around a little and threaten the ice prince. There is to be _no permanent damage_ , understand? These pretty boys and Miss Mila are worth millions to us, but not if they are damaged, so for god’s sake don’t break anything!”

“Fine.”

“I’ll be on my way, then. We should be getting a call from Khipa soon.”

More footsteps sounded and the door to the room opened and closed. Victor turned his attention to his unconscious partner. He maneuvered his hands within the bonds so that he could caress Yuuri’s fingers. He moved to rest his head on his lover’s shoulder and spoke softly into Yuuri’s ear.

“Yuuri? _Solnyshko_ , can you wake up for me?” he pleaded softly, rubbing his fingers against the Japanese skater’s, “Yuuri?”

It took several minutes of coaxing, and Victor was on the edges of panic, but finally, Yuuri’s fingers moved, and he groaned softly.

“Yuuri!” Victor whispered, his throat tightening, “You can hear me now?”

“Mmhmm,” Yuuri mumbled, barely coherently, “Wh-when do we have to leave again?”

“We already left. We went to the airport,” Victor reminded him, “Remember, we chartered a plane and we took off. You don’t remember that?”

“Eh…uh…oh, oh yeah, I remember the plane,” Yuuri answered, trying to roll over.

He made a sound of distress as he realized his situation.

“Victor!” he gasped.

“It’s okay. Don’t struggle. Just stay calm, Yuuri. We’ve been abducted. I think we’re being held for ransom. The leader of their group does not want us hurt, but they will hurt us if we trouble them too much, so we have to stay calm, all right?”

Yuuri shivered under his hands.

“Okay.”

“Now, are you hurt anywhere?” Victor asked, “Their leader told me that they hit you on the head. Does it hurt?”

“It aches pretty badly, and I think my wrist is hurt too, from when I fell.”

“All right. Let’s see what we can do about that.”

Victor took a steadying breath.

“Alek, do you think you could bring a couple of ice packs for Yuuri’s head and his wrist? They are hurting him.”

The guard didn’t say anything back to Victor, but the door to the room opened, and the two skaters heard their handler speak to someone outside the door, then they heard the door close again. A few minutes later, the door opened and someone approached the bed they laid on and sat down to apply the cold packs.

“I am Tasha,” the woman told the two, “I am the medic here.”

“You were one of the flight attendants,” Victor remembered.

“Yes. I am trained to be a field doctor. Yuuri has a concussion from before and I will be watching it. He hasn’t shown any signs that the injury is severe, but I’ll keep watching to make sure. Do either of you have any other injuries?”

“Yuuri’s wrist was also injured,” Victor informed her.

“Okay. I am going to unbind your hands. Alek is watching, so do not do anything to anger him…like trying to attack me.”

“We won’t,” Victor promised.

Victor was careful to keep his arms relaxed as their hands were unbound, and the medic handcuffed him to the rail at the head of the bed.

“Which wrist is it?” Tasha asked Yuuri, “Is it the left or the right?”

“The right,” Yuuri answered quietly.

“Mmhmm, I do see some swelling there. You must have landed on it when you fell. This cold pack should help. Alek, I want you to remove the ice packs after ten minutes, wait another ten, then apply them. Keep doing this for the next few hours.”

Their handler grunted, but gave no other reply.

“I’m going to have to leave you handcuffed to the bed, honey,” Tasha said to Victor, “Alek will need to be able to work around Yuuri and you don’t want to be in his way.”

“It’s fine,” Victor answered, “Just take care of Yuuri.”

“Kat’s right,” Tasha chuckled, ruffling Victor’s hair, “You are a cutie.”

Victor’s lips tightened, but he gave no reply to the teasing.

“I have to go and check in with the others,” Tasha said, rising.

“Was someone else injured?” Victor asked anxiously.

“Hmm, seems that the little tomcat gave his handler some trouble and got punched in the face a couple of times.”

“Is he all right?” Victor persisted, trying to sit up, then falling back down as the handcuffs inhibited him, “Did they hurt him badly?”

“Easy there. Don’t get so excited. I’m going to check him out now. I’ll fix him up.”

“Look, just keep him tied up well and don’t…”

“Shut up!” Alek snapped.

“But I know Yurio. He won’t stop…” Victor began.

“You really don’t listen well, do you?” Alek said, drawing back, then backhanding the Russian skater.

Victor gasped in distress and collapsed onto the bed, his head spinning.

“Victor!” Yuuri cried.

“Oh, don’t you start too,” Tasha complained.

“Kat warned you not to cause trouble,” Alek growled, unlocking Victor’s handcuffs and throwing the semiconscious man over his shoulder, “Watch that one. He’s going to the boss.”

“What? Where are you taking Victor?” Yuuri called out anxiously.

“None of your goddamned business!” Alek scolded him, “Be quiet and don’t give Tasha any trouble while I’m gone.”

“Better do what he says, sweetie,” Tasha warned Yuuri.

“But, where’s he going with Victor? What are they going to do with him? Will he bring Victor back?”

“Well, the deal is, Victor is the alpha of the group of you. Everyone kind of looks up to him, so if he gets punished, then the others will behave better. Kat will be rough with him, but she won’t do anything permanently damaging. She just needs to show the rest of you that she’s the leader now. Sit tight. Do what you’re told. She’s not going to kill him. She just needs to make clear he’s not the boss.”

“V-victor wasn’t trying to…”

“I know, but he pissed off Alek. He’s got to learn to be more careful not to do that. Quiet now. Victor will be back soon.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Victor laid limply over his captor’s shoulder as he was hauled out of the room and carried into the hallway. He realized quickly that his blindfold had shifted, and he was able to see other doors, some of them guarded, as he was carried down the hall. Alek carried him to a larger room, that seemed like a living area. As they entered, he heard Kat make a little sound of surprise, then one of disapproval.

“Causing more trouble already, little ice prince?” the boss said unhappily, “I thought we had an understanding.”

“We do,” Victor assured Kat, “It’s just that I heard Yurio was giving his handler trouble, and he was hurt. I wanted to tell him that all you need to do is to keep him bound and tell everyone not to answer him at all if he shouts at them. He won’t mean to cause trouble, but he can’t help himself. I was just trying to suggest that, when Alek hit me and practically knocked me out.”

“Hmm, looks like he also knocked your blindfold out of position,” Kat noted.

Victor’s breath caught as the leader of their captors tore his blindfold away, and he came face-to-face with Kat. He was stricken with the leader’s face that seemed to have been medically altered to look more catlike and the golden eyes that blinked slowly as they looked back at him.

“I’ll bet you already know way more than we wanted you to, don’t you, you feisty little thing.”

“I don’t,” Victor said, paling, “I don’t know anything.”

“I’m not sure if you’re telling me the truth or if you’re lying,” Kat mused, “But, lets hash this out right now, so we don’t have any more problems, little ice prince.”

Kat nodded to Alek.

“Bring him to the bathroom.”

The bigger man dragged the Russian skater to the bathroom and forced him to sit on the closed toilet as Kat partially filled the tub with cold water.

“Oh, I don’t think I like this,” Victor whispered paling further.

“Nope,” Kat snickered, “It sucks sometimes to be top dog. Am I right?”

“You don’t have to do this,” Victor assured them, “I wasn’t trying to make trouble. I was trying to keep it form happening.”

“Oh, I get it,” Kat assured him, “It’s just that this kind of had to happen, so that we can make sure that the others take a lesson from what happens to you. It’d be better if they saw in person, perhaps, but I’m sure word will get around we roughed you up a little, and everyone will know we mean business.”

Kat turned off the water and nodded to Victor’s handler, who dragged him to the tub and dropped him in, then shoved his head down under the surface. Victor stiffened under his hands, struggling wildly until Kat nodded and the handler lifted him and allowed him a single gasping breath before shoving him down again. He repeated the action several times, until the skater’s chest heaved and he was coughing too hard to get a proper breath anymore. Alek dragged Victor out of the tub and dropped him onto the floor at Kat’s feet. The leader glared down at him and nudged him with the pointed toe of a stylish ladies boot. Victor laid on the floor, shivering and still struggling to catch his breath.

“Now, I think we understand each other,” Kat said approvingly, “You stay quiet and don’t show your teeth, and no one gets hurt. Try to assert yourself for any reason, and you will get treated more harshly with each offense. Now, let’s get you out of those wet clothes. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything else for you to wear, so…until your clothes dry, you’ll just have to be naked.”

Victor heard a nasty little giggle, then Kat’s voice sounded again.

“Go and put him back. Make sure the cherry blossom knows what we did.”

“Yes, boss.”

“What was that?” Kat asked sharply.

“Yes…Miss Kat.”


	3. Switch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The captive skaters come to terms with their situation.

Tasha entered the room where Yuri Plisetsky laid, still bound and curled up in his side, one eye blackened under his blindfold, and a leaking wound on one cheek. The Kazakhstani skater, Otabek Altin laid next to him, also blindfolded and bound, and speaking quietly to the younger skater to calm him. Tasha sat down beside the bed, while the skaters’ handler stood close by, watching.

“Yuri Plisetsky,” Tasha said in a firm voice, “my name is Tasha. I am a medic. I am here to treat your wounds. I warn you that if you attempt to attack me, Sharov will have to subdue you again.”

Yurio’s teeth clenched and he gave no verbal answer, but he nodded stiffly to show he understood.

“He won’t cause any trouble,” Otabek said solemnly, “I think before, he was just still groggy from the drug we were given, and he wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Well, he and all of the rest of you had better think straight now. Our leader means business. She has already had to discipline Victor for being difficult.”

“Big fucking surprise there,” Yurio panted anxiously, “Is the stupid ass all right?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know. He was still with her when I left Yuuri Katsuki.”

“Was Yuuri injured too?” Otabek asked.

“Mmhmm,” Tasha answered as she slipped a cold pack underneath Yurio’s blindfold, “Yuuri did not drink his drink, so one of our people had to knock him out more forcefully when he saw everyone else collapsing. He has a concussion and a sprained wrist, but he’ll be all right…as long as he and Victor behave from now on. Kat, our leader, is insistent on good behavior. You need to remember that so that you will not get into any more trouble.”

“You don’t think they’ll really hurt Victor bad, do you?” Yurio asked, quivering as the medic’s gloved fingers touched the gash on his cheek, “I mean, he can be a pain in the ass, but I think he’d only ever be violent if the pork cutlet bowl was threatened.”

“Hmm,” Tasha mused, “It was actually that he heard you had been injured that set him off and got him disciplined.”

“What?” Yurio said in a shocked voice, “Victor got into trouble because of…?”

“He heard you got hit a few times and I think he was just trying to talk to his handler about how to keep you calm, but Alek is sort of bad tempered, and he had told Victor several times to be quiet.”

“Shit,” Yurio sighed, deflating, “Idiot. I don’t need him doing that. I can take care of myself.”

“Yes, you look like it,” Tasha chided him, “Word to the wise? Kat and the handlers are professionals. They have worked together for years, and they have pulled off several very lucrative abductions. They know about all of you. They know your personalities, your relationships to each other, and how to get you to obey them. You need to know, Yuri Plisetsky, you are a wild card. Kat knows that you have a temper, and she also knows how to tame it. She’s willing to hurt people to make you behave, so my advice is to do what you’re told. Do that, and it’s just a few days and you’re all home. Misbehave, and you could get someone killed. Remember that not all of the people we took are top skaters. There is at least one of you that Kat could use as a sacrifice to subdue the rest of you.”

“Georgi?” Otabek asked, “Is that who you mean?”

Tasha shrugged.

“Perhaps.”

“He’s the only one of us you took who did not compete in the Grand Prix Finals.”

“And he’s been thinking about retiring,” Yurio added, “Do you really think your leader would have him killed?”

“Why don’t you ask Victor that, when you see him?” Tasha suggested, “I’m sure that, right now, he is very aware of the thin edge all of you are skating on. You should take a lesson from what’s happening to him, and behave so that you don’t need me patching you up anymore. Believe it or not, I don’t enjoy seeing you get hurt.”

“How did you get mixed up with these guys, anyway?” Yurio asked.

“Enough socializing,” Sharov interrupted, “Tasha, if you’re finished with him, I was just informed that Victor is being taken back to his room, and he needs warmed towels and for you to make sure his lungs clear up.”

“His lungs?” Yurio exclaimed, “What happened to him? What did those bastards do?”

“Calm down,” Otabek warned him, “They won’t kill him, but remember, not everyone has that assurance.”

“Listen to your friend,” Sharov said in a low, aggressive voice, “or you’ll end up getting dunked and half drowned like Victor. Last I heard, he wasn’t even able to stand. Tasha, you should go. Alek is pissed, and he’s taking care of Victor, which is probably not a good thing when he’s already pissed, you know.”

“Got it,” Tasha said, rising, “Keep the cold pack on for ten minutes…”

“I know the drill,” Sharov assured her, “Better go see to Victor. The boss is worried they went a little overboard.”

“Shit…” Yurio whispered, paling, “Stupid Victor. You shouldn’t be worried about me.”

“Of course he worries about you,” Otabek said softly, “Victor is your friend.”

Yurio’s throat tightened and he couldn’t answer for a moment.

“Not if the fool does something idiotic and gets himself killed,” he managed, shivering.

“It’ll be okay,” Otabek said soothingly, “You just have to stay calm. If an opportunity arises to do something, you want to be ready.”

Under the blindfold, Yurio’s eyes blazed.

“Oh, don’t fucking worry about that. I will be.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Tasha reached the door to Victor and Yuuri’s room as Alek stumbled down the hallway, carrying Victor over a shoulder as the Russian skater coughed and shivered uncontrollably.

“Damn, what the hell did you do to him?” Tasha said, shaking her head, “I thought you were just giving the poor guy a warning, not killing him right now.”

Alek shrugged.

“Boss said to dunk him. I dunked him.”

The two entered the room, and the guard inside exited. Alek dropped the Russian skater onto a wooden chair, and Victor clung to it shakily, still coughing and shivering.

“Victor?” Yuuri called out nervously from where he laid, bound and blindfolded on the bed, “Victor, I heard you coughing. Are you okay?”

“F-fine,” Victor answered, his teeth chattering, “It’s j-just cold.”

“I have some warmed towels,” Tasha assured him, “Piss off, Alek. I think you’ve intimidated him almost to death. You know, if you idiots want to collect on these guys, you have to try harder not to fuck them up too much. This man was obviously held under too long and got water in his lungs. You know, that can cause secondary drowning hours after, so I’ll need to watch over him for awhile to make sure he doesn’t need oxygen or diuretics to clear him up. We don’t have the fancy supplies to keep doing this.”

“Tell it to our leader,” Alek said shortly, heading back to stand by the bedroom door, “She told me to dunk him.”

“I’m sure she didn’t tell you to kill him,” Tasha scolded the man, “We have three very expensive skaters with injuries now. Once the ransom demand is made, we’ll probably have to show they’re alive and well. They’ll want to see one of these guys. So, at least stop messing them up so obviously.”

Victor let out a dragging sigh of relief as Tasha wrapped a large, warm towel around him.

“Oh god, thank you,” the skater whispered, grabbing onto the ends and holding the towel tightly, “At least one of you isn’t out to be the death of me.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Alek sneered, “Just shut up like I told you, behave, and you don’t have to get the rough treatment.”

“Better listen to him, honey,” Tasha said, looking down into Victor’s distressed eyes and using a second warmed towel to dry his face and hair, “He’s kind of a prick.”

“You know, I don’t mind punching you either,” Alek snapped.

“Oh, that would make Kat very happy,” Tasha replied saucily, “You know what I think? I think you’re already on some thin ice. After all, you were the one who gave Yuuri Katsuki that concussion. If he doesn’t make a full recovery, who do you think Kat is going to blame? And now, you may have made Victor have symptoms of secondary drowning? If that happens and he’s compromised, I don’t think I’d want to be you.”

Alek’s teeth clenched and he glared at her aggressively, but he made no reply. Tasha gave Victor a little secret wink, and the Russian skater collapsed against her, resting quietly as she finished drying him off. When she was done, she started to step away, but Victor tugged gently on her sleeve, stopping her.

“Thank you for drying me off,” he said in a rough voice, still affected by the coughing, “Do you have anything I can wear? I know Kat said I just had to go naked, but it’s so cold in here.”

“Oh, I’m sure I can find you something, sweetie,” Tasha answered, petting his hair a little, “Wait here a second, okay?”

“Boss said that he has to go naked until…” Alek began.

“Well, if the boss doesn’t want him to catch pneumonia in addition to him having breathing problems from nearly drowning then she’ll let me give the poor guy a robe,” Tasha answered pointedly, “Get out of my way!”

Alek scowled, but let the medic pass. He glared at Victor, who rested wearily against the back of the wooden chair, but said nothing. A few minutes later, Tasha returned to the room, carrying a hot pink women’s robe. Victor accepted wordlessly and cooperated easily as Tasha helped him to his feet and tucked him back into the bed next to Yuuri.

“Sorry about the robe,” Tasha giggled, “I think Kat wanted to tease you a little.”

“I don’t give a fuck what it looks like,” Victor mumbled, curling around his pillow, “It’s soft and warm. That’s all I care about.”

“Good boy,” Tasha said, moving to the foot of the bed, “Now, I’m putting an ankle cuff on you, so that you can move around more comfortably while you rest. I think we can take most of Yuuri’s bindings off too, as long as both of you are cooperative. Yuuri, you will need to check Victor for fever every hour or two. If he seems to get worse, then send Alek to get me. I’ll be back to check on him later. How are the cold packs working?”

“Oh, my wrist feels much better,” Yuuri said, managing a little smile as Tasha removed most of his bindings and cuffed his ankle to the post at the end of the bed, “My head still aches, though.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you another cold pack for that. Do you want a Valium or some Xanax for your anxiety? We have that to keep you comfortable, if you need it.”

“Oh…no, I think it’ll be okay. I just…want to see Victor. I want to be sure he’s okay. Can you take off the blindfold?”

Tasha’s expression darkened with instant worry.

“I took it off,” she said, sitting down on the bed beside the Japanese skater as Yuuri felt with his fingers and quivered.

“B-but, I can’t see anything!” Yuuri said in a shaky voice.

“What?” Victor said, sitting up beside him, “You can’t see anything?”

“N-no!” Yuuri answered, shaking harder, “It’s just…just grey…w-with a little light. I though the blindfold was still on.”

“Damn it,” Tasha swore.

“I’m…I’m blind?” Yuuri said in a shocked voice.

“No, Yuuri,” Victor said reassuringly, wrapping his arms tightly around his panicking lover, “I’m sure that it’s only temporary. You got a hard knock on the head and it scrambled things, but I’m sure that you’ll be all right. Won’t he, Tasha?”

Tasha hesitated, her lips tightening, then she forced a smile.

“I am sure that with rest and care, Yuuri’s vision will return to normal. It often happens with head injuries that there are temporary disturbances of visual functions, but they are rarely permanent.”

“There’s still a chance that I could be blind permanently, though?” Yuuri worried aloud.

“No, _solnyshko_ ,” Victor said firmly, giving Tasha a look of warning, “You are going to be fine. Come now, lie down with me. I’m really tired, and we don’t know for how long they’ll let us be close like this before they may tie us up again. Come here.”

He cuddled up to the Japanese skater, who shivered and gasped when he felt how cold Victor’s body felt, even with the warm robe.

“Victor, are you sure you’re okay? You’re so cold!” Yuuri complained.

“I just need a few minutes with you to warm me up,” Victor said, smirking.

“Ack! You’re freezing! What the heck did they do to you? Dunk you in ice water?”

“Kind of. It was just cold water, but it felt like there was ice in it.”

“You two get comfortable now,” Tasha instructed the two, “I’m going to need to talk to the boss.”

She noticed the sweat that had broken out on Alek’s brow at hearing Yuuri’s visual condition.

“Worried?” she asked under her breath as she passed him, “You should be. That condition could be permanent.”

“I didn’t hit his head against the ground that hard!” the handler objected, keeping his voice lowered, “I didn’t know he was that fragile!”

“Well, you’d better hope that both of these men make full recoveries, because if they don’t, I know who is going to take the blame.”

She smirked a little at the hangdog look she got in response, and she patted his face teasingly.

“Don’t worry too much. I’m a really good medic. I’ll do my best with them. Just you go easy on them, okay?”

Alek started to object, then stiffened and gave her a short nod, making the medic giggle as she exited the room. She moved on to the room where Mila laid inside and passed the guard to enter. She studied the bound and blindfolded Russian girl for a moment before moving to her bedside and sitting down.

“And how are you feeling, Miss Mila?” Tasha asked, “They haven’t been bad to you?”

“No,” Mila answered softly, “I just woke up anyway. I know there’s someone in the room, but they don’t even answer me.”

“Well,” Tasha said soothingly, “Kesha is kind of quiet. He does his job without a lot of words, eh Kesha?”

“Hmph,” the guard grunted.

“He’s not scary. Just be quiet and you and all of your friends will be back home again in no time, okay?”

“Okay, but is everyone all right? I thought I heard Victor coughing and talking in the hallway. Are he and the others hurt?”

“Oh, Victor just angered our leader and he got some punishment, but he’ll be fine. All of them will be fine. You will too. I promise. Just stay calm and let me know if anyone bothers you.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Mila asked, “What do you want? You must want something if I’m here and you’re being nice to me.”

“Maybe,” Tasha chuckled, “You see, I’m a big fan of yours. I love your skating. I’m sorry we had to meet this way, but I promise I want to see you get home safely. I’ll just warn you not to confront Kat, our leader. Kat is…a little bit extreme.”

“She hasn’t come in here at all. No one has. It’s just been me and the guy who doesn’t talk, over there.”

“Well, that’s better than the jerk that Victor and Yuuri have watching them.”

Mila barely suppressed a little sound of worry.

“You don’t think they’ll really get hurt, do you?” she asked, tensing.

Tasha paused for a moment, considering.

“You know,” she commented, “I would have expected that you would sound scared, asking me that question, but you…?”

She considered for a moment longer, then smirked and patted the Russian girl on the cheek.

“Me what?” Mila mused.

“Oh, I just think it’s funny,” Tasha commented, “Kat is so focused on the others that she’s not really looking at you at all. That’s very funny.”

She leaned closer, as though checking the Russian girl’s bonds.

“Because, if you ask me, I think you’re the troublemaker of the bunch. Be careful. Don’t get yourself hurt.”


	4. Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor suffers an adverse reaction to near drowning.

Yuuri felt Victor shiver against his back and turned to face him as the Russian skater clung to him, taking ragged breaths.

“Victor?” he called softly, feeling with his hand to find Victor’s face.

He made a sound of distress at finding the flesh hot and dry.

“Alek!” he called urgently, “Victor’s spiked a fever. Tasha said to call her if he started to get sick like that.”

“Damn it,” the handler muttered under his breath.

He stepped out of the room, leaving the two alone as Yuuri sat up and tried to rouse his discomfited partner.

“C’mon, wake up, okay?” Yuuri coaxed him, patting Victor’s flushed face and running fingers gently through his hair, “Victor?”

Victor shivered and made a worrisome rattling cough. A moment later, the door opened and Tasha entered the room, followed by Kat and Alek.

“Are you causing us trouble again, little ice prince?” Kat chided him, “I thought you were going to really try to stay out of trouble.”

Victor groaned, trying to bury his face in Yuuri’s shoulder.

“D-don’t touch m-me,” he complained, “Your h-hands are c-cold!”

“My hands aren’t cold,” Tasha said quietly as she examined him carefully, “You just have a pretty high fever. It’s okay. I’ve prepared for this. We’ll just need to take you to the infirmary.”

She gave the handler a meaningful glare.

“Do you think you can carry him there without killing him, stupid?” she said icily.

Alek scowled, but he stepped forward and lifted the semi-conscious skater carefully.

“Wh-where are you taking him?” Yuuri asked urgently, “Is Victor going to be okay?”

“Victor will be fine,” Kat assured the anxious Japanese skater.

“How do you know?” Yuuri demanded, “You said that you wouldn’t really hurt him, but he was shaking all over and he could barely breathe without coughing! He’s really, really sick. Victor needs to be in a hospital.”

A warm palm curved around Yuuri’s cheek suddenly, and he stiffened and caught his breath. He felt that the person touching him was gazing at him closely.

“Our little cherry blossom misses his precious ice prince?” Kat purred softly, her strange eyes blinking slowly, “We can’t allow that, now, can we?”

“C-could I please see Victor?”

Kat sighed, sliding her hand under Yuuri’s chin and lifting it.

“Poor thing. I don’t think you’ll be seeing anything right now. Am I right?”

Yuuri’s heart pounded strangely in his chest and he struggled with an instant urge to pull away from her.

“You’re a tricky one, aren’t you, little cherry blossom,” Kat continued, “Sometimes small and scared, but sometimes…”

“Will you please let me go and sit with Victor?” Yuuri asked, swallowing hard.

Kat considered, then gave him a crooked smile he couldn’t see.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” she decided, “Besides, I have some things to say to your handler about his job performance. Come along.”

Yuuri felt an arm curl around him, helping as he climbed to his feet. He swayed uncertainly for a moment as a dizzy feeling went through his head.

“Still feeling that concussion?” Kat said sympathetically, “You really are a delicate little thing, aren’t you? Looks like Alek almost killed you too.”

“I’m fine,” Yuuri said, his jaw stiffening, “I just need to get to Victor. I’m worried. He sounded bad.”

“Tasha is a great medic,” Kat assured him, “He couldn’t be in better hands.”

“Victor needs a _real doctor_!” Yuuri snapped, “I’ve never seen him like he was.”

“He did look pretty sick, but we’ll take care of him. Just don’t you start making trouble for us too.”

“Victor isn’t in that shape because he was making trouble!” Yuuri exclaimed, his hands clenching as he stopped in the hallway, “You _knew_ he was only trying to explain how to keep Yurio calm. You should have been grateful to him for trying to keep everyone calm, but instead, you hurt him, just to intimidate the rest of us!”

A little yelp of surprise and pain escaped him as Kat turned them suddenly and forced him up against the wall. Yuuri quivered, but his blind eyes blazed rebelliously as Kat’s face came closer and her voice hissed roughly in his ear.

“You don’t look intimidated, do you? I said before that you were tricky, and I think this proves it. You’ve shown your true colors, haven’t you, my sweet little cherry blossom. _This_ is your inner Eros, then? I thought that if Victor was threatened, it might come out.”

“Look, I’m not trying to cause any trouble. I just want Victor and the rest of us to get home safely. Whatever that takes…”

Yuuri’s breaths stopped as Kat’s lips came close to his ear, so that he felt a touch of hot breath that made his insides fill with ice.

“Be careful what you wish for, Eros. You might be biting off more than you can chew,” she warned him, “Come now. I think you’re good the ice prince.”

She led him to the door to the infirmary, where they paused as the sound of Victor coughing and swearing furiously in Russian reached them. Tasha gave them an apologetic look over her shoulder and beckoned them to the Russian skater’s bedside.

“What was that?” Kat asked, looking amused, “I thought he was going to go through the roof, for a moment.”

“He’s too weak to get up to pee once the diuretic starts working,” the medic explained, “so I had to put in a catheter to drain the excess body fluids.”

Yuuri cringed.

“Ouch,” Kat giggled, “Better go and make him feel better, sweetie.”

She guided Yuuri to Victor’s bedside, where he sat down in a chair and slipped his hand into Victor’s sweaty and shaky one.

“Are you okay?” Yuuri managed in a whisper.

Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes as he felt Victor kiss his fingertips.

“I’ll be fine,” the Russian skater whispered, “Don’t be afraid.”

“You still feel too hot. Are you comfortable? D-do you need anything?”

“I’m okay. I just…need you, _solnyshko_. I just need you close to me.”

“I’m right here,” Yuuri whispered back, resting his cheek against Victor’s, “Victor, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know if we can do anything,” Victor whispered back, “We don’t know where we are. We haven’t any shoes or warm clothing. Some of us are hurt or sick. I think that, right now, we have to try to learn as much as we can about who these people are, what they want and where they’ve taken us. When we know those things, it will be time to start thinking about how we can get away.”

“Okay,” Yuuri breathed, calming, “While you’re resting, I’ll try to find out what I can.”

“You have to be careful, Yuuri,” Victor warned him, “You’re already hurt, and I don’t want anything worse to happen to you. But…if you are able to speak to any of the others, pass on what I told you. We need to have everyone working on this.”

“It doesn’t seem like they’re giving us any contact with each other,” Yuuri observed, “but if I do get to talk to anyone, I’ll pass on what you said.”

“Good,” Victor sighed wearily, “Yuuri, I feel _terrible_.”

“Yeah, I bet you do,” Yuuri answered, rubbing his cooler cheek against his lover’s, “You sound bad too.”

“I’m better with you here.”

“Try to sleep now, okay?”

“Okay.”

Victor quieted, but Yuuri still felt a twinge of concern at his uneven breathing. He heard the others move closer again and Tasha patted him comfortingly on the arm.

“He’ll be okay. I gave him something to make the fluid drain so that he will breathe better. He’s had an antibiotic shot to keep infection from setting in. He just needs to sleep.”

“Can I stay with him?” Yuuri asked, “Y-you can cuff me to something here. I won’t cause any trouble. I promise. I just don’t want to leave him.”

Tasha looked up at Kat questioningly, but Kat’s eyes narrowed and glinted.

“The ice prince is just going to be napping for now,” she answered, “and someone needs to keep a close eye on you while you’re feeling so protective of him, my tricky Eros.”

“But, I’m not…”

“I’m also afraid that Alek is not going to be available to watch you, so…what to do?”

“You could put him with Miss Mila?” Tasha suggested.

“Hmm, I don’t know if I like that.”

Kat’s sharp, painted fingertip tapped her cheek once, twice, then a third time. Her cat’s eyes gleamed and her smile turned wicked.

“Well, maybe…I will just babysit him, myself,” she suggested.

Yuuri’s blind eyes rounded in distress as he was dragged away from Victor and brought to his feet.

“We have to make sure he behaves himself, after all. Wouldn’t want him getting ideas from the ice prince’s bad behavior.”

“You’ll need to be careful with him,” Tasha warned her excitable comrade, “You’ve already blinded the poor thing and roughed him up. And you know he gets anxious.”

“Yes,” Kat said, her voice lowering ominously, “I know that. And…given that his Eros is so tricky and dangerous, I think scaring him a little is definitely called for. We need to put him back in his more delicate cherry blossom mode…before he gets himself hurt more.”

Tasha sighed and shrugged.

“You’re the boss.”

“N-no, wait!” Yuuri objected, struggling as Kat pulled him towards the door, “I want to stay with Victor! I need to know he’s okay. I promised him I would stay with him!”

“Vaska, give me a hand with him.”

Yuuri yelped as he was lifted and thrown roughly over a bigger man’s shoulder.

“Victor!” he called out.

Hearing no answer, he continued to call out the Russian’s name as he was carried into another room and dropped onto a bed. He started to scramble away, but Kat’s hands took hold of him, and he felt her wrapping leather straps around his arms.

“Lie down and be still. You know, you need to rest too, feisty Eros.”

“I need to be with Victor!” Yuuri complained, struggling, “He’s really sick.”

“We’re taking care of Victor. Hold still and calm down.”

“You’re the reason he’s like that!” Yuuri accused her, “You ordered him treated like that, even though you knew he didn’t deserve it. You’re a damned _monster_!”

Yuuri sucked in a scared breath, stiffening as he felt Kat climb on top of him, and his captor held him in place with unexpected strength. He didn’t have to see the other’s eyes to know they were filled with dangerous fury.

“You don’t know just how right you are about that,” Kat hissed in his ear, her hands rough as they finished binding his arms, “but you are about to find out. Let me tell you a little secret, you nasty little Eros. Georgi isn’t the only one among you who we can sacrifice. You know, we’re not getting quite what we want in negotiations for you, so you might want to keep that in mind. How do you think your ice prince would feel, going home with your dead body?”

Yuuri’s chest heaved and he turned his head away as Kat’s face came close to his again.

“Cross me again, and you are a _dead blossom_.”

Yuuri went limp and silent, giving no more objections as Kat’s hands wrapped more of the strong leather straps around his ankles, leaving him spread out on his back and completely vulnerable to her.

“Now then,” Kat purred, batting her eyes, “your punishment for being such a bother…”

XXXXXXXXXX

Victor kept his eyes closed and his breathing slow and even, listening carefully to the sounds that reached him. Over the steady beeping of the machine that monitored his heart rate and oxygen level, footsteps sounded nearby as the evening watch appeared to be changing.

“Hey,” a male voice said softly, “I heard there was some excitement earlier.”

“Mmhmm, Alek’s been punished, “He damn near busted two of them.”

A low whistle sounded.

“I would not want to be him right now.”

“Yeah? Then, you’d better make sure nothing happens to the ice prince in there. He wasn’t looking so good before. Let him sleep. Don’t touch him unless you have to.”

“Got it.”

“Well, I’m off.”

“Night.”

“You too.”

More footsteps sounded, and seemed to get louder. Victor remained carefully limp and motionless, except for the steady rise and fall of his chest. He felt the guard’s eyes watch him closely for a minute, then he turned and walked out of the room again.

Victor continued to listen, exchanging sleep for what little bits of information he could capture.

“…storm coming in later tonight…”

“…Khipa’s late…”

“The boss isn’t going to like very much how this is going.”

…putting pressure on Yakov. Boss doesn’t want to have to kill Victor, but as a last resort, it would let them know we’re serious. Besides, look at the bastard. He’s half dead and may die on us anyway.”

_I’m not as dead as you think._

A small movement yielded the information that he wasn’t restrained in any way.

_You’ve underestimated me._

He shifted slightly, then winced at a little pain he felt in a very sensitive place.

_Fuck._

_Catheter._

_I hate these people._

_It’s not exactly a restraint, but it’s going to make getting up and down pretty much impossible._

Frowning, he turned his attention back to the voices that floated into the room from time to time.

“…Toska’s got duty on the shed…”

“…No one’s in there now. Victor’s in the infirmary and Kat’s got Yuuri Katsuki in her bed.”

“I don’t envy him.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yuuri?” Victor whispered, his heart quickening.

He groaned inwardly at the beeping set off by the increase in his heart rate.

“Fuck…Yuuri!” he shouted, shifting.

_OW! Fuck…catheter…_

“Take it easy now.”

“Wh-where are you Yuuri?” Victor panted, thrashing around aimlessly, “Yuuri!”

“Get Tasha!”

“Yuuri!” Victor called out again, “He’s in trouble.”

“He’s fine.”

“N-no, I know. I know he’s in trouble.”

He felt Tasha’s hands touch his face and her soothing voice sounded.

“Oh, you’ve got some energy after all? You’re going to make trouble, ice prince?”

“Sh-she’s going to hurt Yuuri. She hurt me, now she’s going to hurt him!”

Tasha gave a little chuckle.

“Kat won’t hurt your little cherry blossom. Relax. I don’t want to have to sedate you.”

Victor’s jaw clenched and his blue-green eyes glared petulantly.

“I don’t believe you! Why should I? You and the others said before we wouldn't be hurt. But you hurt me…and Yuuri is FUCKING BLIND!”

Even Victor was surprised at the loud objection the machines made at his outburst. Tasha’s eyes narrowed and she reached under the blanket and took hold of the catheter tube. Victor froze instinctively, holding his breath as the medic stared into his widened eyes.

“Do I have your attention now?” she asked sternly, “No one wants to hurt any of you, but you need to understand that no one among you is indispensable. Cause too much trouble, and we’ll kill you. It’s as simple as that. Lie there and let yourself feel better. Don’t cause any more trouble. Do you understand, Victor?”

“Is there a problem?” Kat said from the doorway.

Victor shivered and gritted his teeth, earning a look of approval from the medic, who gave Kat a weary look.

“Victor is very ill and I think he needs comforting,” she said, making the Russian skater blink in surprise.

_What?_

_But she just said…_

“Could you bring Yuuri Katsuki back for a little while?” Tasha asked.

Kat rolled her eyes.

“Fine,” she sighed impatiently, “What a pain. We were having so much fun too. He really is a sweet little blossom. I’m so jealous that he already seems very attached to his little ice prince.”

Victor stiffened, but Tasha’s touch on his arm made him go still and quiet again.

“Vaska, go and untie the little cherry blossom. His ice prince needs him.”


	5. Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While negotiations go on for the skaters' release, Yuuri returns to comfort Victor.

Yakov sat at a table in his kitchen with Lilia in a chair near him. A detective sat in a chair on his other side, and the two watched the small television on the wall near the table. A warmly dressed female reporter on the screen stood in the falling snow in a wooded area, facing the cameraman in front of her as, behind her, rescue crews worked hastily.

“Earlier this evening,” the reporter shouted above the buffeting wind, “it was reported that a commuter jet carrying members of the Russian National Figure Skating team crash landed in the gorge behind me. About an hour ago, the pilot, Khipa Vasin, staggered up this hill, dragging an injured Georgi Popovich. Not known as of yet are the fates of Mila Babicheva, Yuri Plisetsky, Victor Nikiforov, Kazakhstani skater, Otabek Altin, Swiss skater, Chris Giacometti and Japanese skater, Yuuri Katsuki, who were all listed on the flight manifest. The pilot was questioned by Russian police, but did not appear to know what happened to the rest of the crew or the missing skaters. The plane, he said, landed without exploding, however it did break up, and only one section has been found.”

Yakov scowled and shook his head.

“I don’t know why they are bothering with all of this acting,” he complained, “That pilot is lying through his teeth.”

“He is,” the detective agreed, “Obviously, this is an attempt by the kidnappers to keep the abductions out of the news. I’ve had word that, in addition to the demands made to you for the Russian skaters, the embassies of the other skaters’ countries have also been contacted. All were warned not to reveal anything about the ransom demands. We are lucky that they simply gave Georgi back as part of the ruse to focus attention somewhere else, but we do need to find clues quickly that will lead us to the other skaters.”

“What are you doing about the pilot?” Lilia asked sharply, “I agree with Yakov that he must be involved in this.”

The detective sighed.

“The ransom demands came in after Vasin made his statement to the rescuers and police, so we didn’t know about the abduction plot in time to arrest him. He was let go after he made his statement at the hospital, and he disappeared after.”

“Was Georgi able to remember anything about what happened?” Yakov asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” the detective answered somberly, “He said that he only recalls getting onto the plane and it taking off. He remembers nothing after that. We have to conclude that the skaters on board were probably incapacitated somehow, probably with the use of a drug that they would have ingested or breathed in on the plane.”

“How badly was Georgi injured?” asked Lilia, “Will he make a full recovery?”

“He should. His injuries were minor, and since we know there wasn’t really a plane crash, we can assume that he was simply battered while he was unconscious, then Vasin dragged him up the hill to where the two were found.”

“Do you have any leads at all about where the others could be?” Yakov inquired worriedly.

“I’m sorry. We are, of course, working on investigating anyone and everyone associated with Vasin. We know that this plot has to have been conceived over time and carefully laid out.”

“But how could they know that the boys would be stuck at the airport that day?” Lilia objected, “That couldn’t be planned very well in advance.”

“No,” the detective agreed, “It couldn’t. However, we suspect that all of the other aspects of the plan were in place. Vasin and his crew knew that you sometimes chartered planes for your team and there was rough weather forecast. I suppose they had everything prepared and when they learned there was going to be a big storm, they took advantage of that to put their plans into motion. They may have had other possible means to pull off the abduction, itself, but this situation just presented itself and they went with it.”

“Is there anyone besides Khipa Vasin and his crew members who you think could have helped pull this off?” asked Yakov.

“We have a suspicion…because there is someone known to have been friendly with him. Someone who has been involved in a few high profile abductions.”

The detective removed a picture of what looked to be a very effeminate man with a face altered to look catlike and a slim body dressed in women’s clothes.

“The suspect has male apparatus, but lives as a female,” the detective explained, “We have only a couple of pictures of her and a name. As you see, the alteration of her face and the fact we have no fingerprints for her, means that we can’t be sure of much of anything about her.”

“Have you ever caught anyone else involved in the other abductions?” Lilia asked, “Someone must know something about this woman.”

The detective’s expression darkened and his eyes took on a grave look.

“We have never captured any other suspects alive,” he answered unhappily, “There was just once that an abduction went very wrong and the victims being ransomed, as well as their captors were all killed in an explosion. The government didn’t want Kat to know that they had any information about the group, so it was never made public that there was a kidnapping. This is the way the group works. They take the victims and set up a situation to make it look like an accident has happened and the victims are simply missing. They keep the loop small to avoid attracting a lot of attention. The good news is that although they have done this several times, all but that one time, they delivered on their promise to return the victims safely when the ransom was paid.”

“Do you know what it was that made everything go wrong that time?” asked Lilia.

“No one is sure,” the detective related, shaking his head, “There may have been some kind of confrontation between the victims and their captors. But it was impossible to he sure since the bodies were burned beyond recognition.”

Yakov and Lilia exchanged worried glances and the detective gave them a questioning look.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Well,” Yakov sighed, “Of the ones who were taken, most of them would be wise enough to be cautious. They would cooperate unless there was some very clear way to escape without injury. But one of the men is still young and impulsive.”

“Yuri Plisetsky,” Lilia supplied, “He is a spirited boy and sometimes too bold for his own good. He could cause trouble for his captors.”

“That could endanger, not just his life, but all of the victims,” the detective concluded, “He and the others are going to have to be exceedingly cautious if they want to live and come home safely.”

“Hmm,” Yakov mused, rubbing his chin, “That doesn’t bode well, does it?”

XXXXXXXXXX

Victor heard approaching footsteps, then he heard the chair next to his infirmary bed move as someone sat down beside him. He felt a soft, warm hand take hold of his and his heart skipped.

“Yuuri,” he managed weakly, turning his head to look, and finding Yuuri in the chair and Tasha standing next to Kat behind him, “are you okay?”

His brow furrowed at the fact that Yuuri’s head remained bowed and Victor could feel from his hand that his body was shaking.

“Yuuri?”

“I-I’m okay,” he whispered dispiritedly, “I wasn’t hurt.”

“But they did something to you?”

“Just be glad your cherry blossom was so cooperative I brought him back,” Kat growled softly.

“What did you do to Yuuri?” Victor asked worriedly, “Why is he acting like this. Yuuri, what happened?”

Kat leaned over Victor and breathed her next words into his ear.

“Stop now or there will be serious consequences for both of you,” she warned him, “You know, I didn’t want to bring him back. He was a lot of fun for me, so it’s annoying having to give him back to you so soon. Be quiet little ice prince, or you’ll both be my love slaves as soon as you’re well enough to move!”

Victor’s jaw clenched, but he read the warning in Tasha’s expression and gave no response. Kat gave him a wicked smile.

“Good boy,” she praised him, “You are learning to be nice and obedient now. Maybe if you keep this up, you will earn a few privileges, _da_? But, mess with me anymore and you will be very, very sorry that you did!”

“I’m not going to do anything,” Victor answered, shuddering as Kat’s hand slid under the blanket and caressed his belly, then slid slowly down his torso and between his thighs, “I don’t want any of us to be hurt.”

“Good,” Kat purred, giving him a little kiss on his collarbone and her hand moving provocatively beneath the blanket, “What a good little ice prince.”

Victor shuddered again as Kat’s hand very slowly retreated, and Kat and Tasha left them alone in the room. Victor looked up at Yuuri, his expression darkening as he spotted tears in the corners of his blind eyes.

“Yuuri, what did she do to you?” Victor breathed softly, squeezing the hand that held his.

Yuuri shivered at the memory.

“It d-didn’t go far, luckily,” he answered in a shaky whisper, “M-mostly, she just teased me. I was only scared because I was tied up and I couldn’t move much at all, and the whole time, she kept telling me what she would do if I didn’t behave. Honestly, I was more scared by her words than anything she did. She’s really dangerous, Victor!”

“I know,” Victor agreed, “so we have to be careful. Yuuri, we need to be sure everyone is okay. Somehow, we have to get information on how they are.”

“Well, Kat told me, although I couldn’t see, that she has monitors in her room that let her see into all of the rooms where we’re kept.”

“Do you know if there’s a monitor in here?” Victor asked.

“I don’t know. She only wanted me to know that she watches us and the guards.”

Victor felt another very hard shiver go through his distressed partner.

“Victor,” Yuuri said shakily, “She almost killed Alek for damaging us.”

“Strangely, I’m not very bothered by that,” Victor said dryly.

“Kat is insane!” Yuuri hissed, “She wouldn’t hesitate to kill us if we make her angry enough!”

“I know that,” Victor assured him, “That’s why I want you to be careful, _solnyshko_. I know you’re scared and you’re worried about me, but you have to be really careful not to make Kat angry. Don’t do anything but what you’re told.”

“I won’t,” Yuuri promised, “But…do you really think they’re going to let us go?”

“Of course they are,” Victor said reassuringly, “They are dangerous people, but in the end, they just want money. It’s bad for them if they do something to us and don’t get anything for our return. Keep that in mind and you won’t feel as frightened.”

“I’m okay now,” Yuuri assured him, “I was really scared when I was alone with Kat, but I’m all right, now that I’m with you. How are you feeling?”

“Awful,” Victor admitted ruefully, “But in here, I can overhear the guards, so I’ve learned that Chris is alone in a room down the hall. Mila is across from him. Otabek and Yurio are in a room near ours. I’ve also learned that the shifts change every four hours, and that the pilot who flew us, Khipa, had not checked in on time as expected.”

“Wow,” Yuuri mused, “you have overheard a lot.”

“I didn’t hear anything about Georgi,” Victor said, lowering his voice, “I would have thought he would be put with Chris, maybe, but they didn’t mention him at all.”

“I haven’t heard anything about him, either,” Yuuri confessed, “Victor, do you think they…?”

“No,” Victor said quickly, rubbing Yuuri’s hand comfortingly.

“But they said that…!”

“He’s all right,” Victor said soothingly, “We’ll find out something soon. For now, just stay by me and be quiet and listen with me. We need to learn more.”

“You need to get well,” Yuuri said, lowering himself to rest his head on Victor’s warm chest, “You’re not as warm, but you still feel feverish.”

“It comes and goes,” Victor admitted softly, “but I feel better…well, except for the damned catheter. Maybe you can pull it out?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Yuuri said anxiously, “I don’t know how to do it. I might hurt you. Besides, what if they are watching us. They’re watching all of the people in the rooms. And we’ve already troubled them, so they’re not going to leave us able to do anything, right?”

“You’re probably right,” Victor sighed, considering, “It’s just really uncomfortable.”

“Sorry,” Yuuri said sympathetically, “Maybe since you’re better, Tasha will take it out when she comes in here again.”

“Maybe,” Victor agreed.

“Until then, let me comfort you,” Yuuri said, stroking Victor’s hand and tilting his head to kiss his lover’s warm cheek, “They’ve hurt you.”

“They’ve hurt you too, Yuuri. How are your head and your wrist?”

“Better,” Yuuri answered more calmly.

“Good. Are you able to see anything yet?”

“No. I still just see grey with some light patches.”

“It’s okay. You’ll get your eyesight back,” Victor assured him.

“I hope so,” Yuuri sighed, “But Victor, I want to tell you…I don’t want you to miss a chance to escape because of me.”

Victor gave him a shocked look.

“Yuuri!” he objected.

“If you get the chance to escape, please go, even if you have to go without me!”

“Yuuri, I’m not going to…”

“Even if you have to go without me,” Yuuri said again, dissolving into tears, “Victor, I have to know that no matter what happens, you’re going to be okay!”

“Yuuri,” Victor said, touching his face and kissing him tenderly, “no matter what happens, we will face it together.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Kat gave a bored sigh and curled around the pillows on her bed, still catching little whiffs of Yuuri Katsuki’s sweet scent. She thought regretfully about how their fun had been interrupted, and her golden eyes narrowed as she observed the Russian and Japanese skater, who occupied the infirmary. Yuuri laid, resting on Victor’ shoulder, and the two men held hands and kissed frequently as she watched.

“What a bother,” she complained to herself, “If it wasn’t for that stupid little ice prince being so delicate, we could have had such fun!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have been so rough with the ice prince and nearly drowned him if you wanted to have your fun,” said a feminine voice from the doorway.

Kat looked up, wearing an evil smirk.

“Oh…it’s you,” she chuckled, “What brings you in here?”

The person at the door swatted a small crop against her opened palm as she stepped into the light.

“Someone has been a very bad kitty!”


End file.
